ISIL Freedom Network: United States > Scholarly and In-Depth Studies > Campaign Finance Reform

Applying the campaign finance law to the Internet: Risks to free expression and democratic values
Source: Center for Democracy and Technology
Country: United States

The CDT finds that the application of campaign finance rules to the Internet threatens free speech. (10/99)

Letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell on campaign finance reform
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Roger Pilon
Country: United States

Constitutional expert Pilon advises the senator that campaign finance restrictions are an unconstitutional abridgment of free speech. (10/99)

Campaign finance reform: Soft money and the presidential campaign system
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Bradley A. Smith
Country: United States

Prof. Smith testified before the United States Senate on the threat to free speech posed by limits on so-called "soft money" contributions. (5/14/97)

Mr. Smith, welcome to Washington
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Roger Pilon
Country: United States

Professor Bradley A. Smith, a GOP nominee for a seat on the Federal Election Commission, has been vilified because of his vigorous defense of free speech against trendy "reform" proposals. (7/30/99)

Campaign finance reform: Let's not give politicians the power to decide what we can say about them
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Douglas Johnson and Mike Beard
Country: United States

"Campaign finance" reform proposals violate the First Amendment, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly held to provide the highest degree of protection for issue advocacy, including explicit commentary on the merits, positions, and actions of officeholders and office seekers. (7/4/97)

Money, politics and the First Amendment
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Major Garrett
Country: United States

Members of Congress frequently complain that campaigns cost too much and fundraising takes too much time. Major Garrett, former deputy national editor of the Washington Times, argues that the cost of elections has actually remained relatively stable since 1980, and that one way to deal with the burden of fundraising is to eliminate contribution limits. (6/19/97)

Public opinion and campaign finance: A skeptical look at Senator McCain's claims
Source: The Cato Institute
Author: David M. Primo
Country: United States

"The data show that campaign spending could not have caused increases in public mistrust of government, and that there is no statistical relationship over time between campaign spending and public trust in American government." The full study is available in Adobe PDF. (1/31/01)

Making the world safer for incumbents: The consequences of McCain-Feingold-Cochran
Source: The Cato Institute
Author: John Samples
Country: United States

This study looks at the McCain-Feingold-Cochran campaign finance reform bill and makes the conclusion that it "would generally enhance interest group influence at the cost of political parties and candidates." It is available in Adobe PDF. (03/01)

Free money
Source: Reason
Author: James V. DeLong
Country: United States

Attempts to muzzle political speech with "campaign finance reform" actually attack the best part of the political process. (7/28/00)

Campaign Finance and the First Amendment
Source: Center for Individual Freedom
Author: Erik S. Jaffe
Country: United States

This report examines McCain-Feingold and its assault on the First Amendment. It is available in Adobe PDF. (06/01)

It's the spending, stupid! Understanding campaign finance in the Big-Government era
Source: The Cato Institute
Author: Patrick Basham
Country: United States

This report concludes that the campaign finance problem is a result of the ever increasing scope of government. "The only sure way to lower campaign spending would be to restrict government to its constitutional powers." It is available in Adobe PDF. (07/18/01)

A simple explanation for why campaign expenditures are increasing: the government is getting bigger
Source: Social Science Research Network
Author: John R. Lott Jr.
Country: United States

"By focusing on the symptoms and not the root causes of ever higher campaign expenditures," Lott writes, "the current public policy debate risks changing the form that payments are made rather than actually restricting the level of competition." Available in Adobe Acrobat. (2001)

'Campaign Finance and the First Amendment' released
Source: FedSoc
Author: Erik S. Jaffe
City: Washington, State: DC, Country: United States

Excerpt from this Federalist Society monograph: "McCain-Feingold represents a frontal assault on a variety of First Amendment principles.... [A]nyone concerned with individual freedom must consider First Amendment issues from the perspective of first principles ..." (Acrobat PDF download file.) (06/20/01)

Government campaign financing: Public choice, public values
Source: The Cato Institute
Author: John Samples
Country: United States

Samples examines jurisdictions that have enacted publicly-financed campaign laws and concludes that public financing does nothing to enhance electoral competition. (08/26/02)

The failure of Maine's experiment with taxpayer financing of campaigns
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Patrick Basham and Martin Zelder
Country: United States

Study examining how the Clean Election Act of 1996 has affected Maine's elections since. The authors conclude that Maine's state elections are no more competitive now than they were before the law took effect. This report is available in Adobe PDF. (10/16/02)

The effect of campaign finance laws on electoral competition: Evidence from the states
Source: The Cato Institute
Author: Thad Kousser and Ray LaRaja
Country: United States

This study looks at the effect of campaign finance laws enacted in 15 states, and finds that "if parties are constrained in how much they can raise or spend, serious challengers will be penalized the most." It is available in Adobe PDF. (02/14/02)

This is campaign finance reform?
Source: Cato Institute
Author: Patrick Basham
Country: United States

Basham argues that new restrictions on soft money contributions and limitations on campaign advertising in the months prior to an election will end up favoring incumbents and create further hardships for challengers. (Full report available as PDF file) (11/20/02)

Are people who make large campaign contributions different?
Source: Cato Institute
Author: John McAdams and John C. Green
Country: United States

Examining some popular misconceptions about the nature of political contributions. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the authors find that Democrats and liberal policy are as well represented among big-dollar donors as Republicans and conservatism. (Full report available as PDF file.) (09/25/02)

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